Show boss teases a feature that's been planned 'for a while'

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Simon Cowell has confirmed that there ARE changes being made to the live shows for The X Factor 2016 - including one new feature he's wanted for a while.

The new series is mostly going back to basics, with the return of room auditions, long-time presenter Dermot O'Leary, original judges Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne and fan favourite Nicole Scherzinger.

But it's not all tradition, as Simon has confirmed that bosses are giving the live shows a bit of a revamp.

"We’re going to make a couple of changes to the live shows," he said. "There will be one feature that we’ve been talking about for a while which I am excited about. It’s going to make the shows more fun."

However, we'll have to wait to find out what the mysterious new feature is, as the media mogul teased that "all will be revealed soon".

In an image leaked during rehearsals for last year's series, the terms 'vocal score' and 'performance score' were shown on the giant studio screen - although the idea was scrapped before the live shows began.

Other features that have been rumoured over the years include the full results of the public vote being revealed live - which already happens on sister show Britain's Got Talent - and a different impartial guest judge joining the panel each week.